Third-gen iPad owners: does the fourth-gen iPad irk you?

How do Ars readers feel about a new iPad only seven months later?

Is your third-generation iPad, which you've owned for seven months or fewer (because that's how long it's been on the market), now "obsolete?" The answer, it turns out, is yes, thanks to Apple's spec bump on Tuesday, which brought about the fourth generation of the device. With a new A6X processor, expanded LTE capabilities, and a new Lightning connector, the fourth-gen iPad is in and the third-gen is unequivocally out. Even the iPad 2 is still for sale through Apple as a discounted model, but not the version of the iPad that was just introduced earlier this year.

Does it upset you? For some, the answer to that question is "yes." When we buy new things, we like to think we're getting some life out of owning the latest and greatest—especially if it's a $500+ device. For some, it's about bragging rights, but for others, it's purely based on principle. People who like to buy Apple devices tend to view it as a deal with the devil—you get to enjoy the newest iPad for a while and Apple gets a considerable chunk of your money. Devices should come out on a predictable schedule within a reasonable timeline so that we're always either owning the current thing, or planning for it on the calendar.

Or should they? There are plenty of customers who don't mind buying a device whose moment in the spotlight is short-lived. Those of us who purchased third-generation iPads did so (presumably) because we liked the specs at the time and felt like it would be a worthwhile purchase. Was it only worthwhile seven (or fewer) months ago but not today? If it continues to work well for your needs, then what's the fuss?

Sure, some users might have bought their third-gen iPads just the other day, so their frustration may be justified. (And many of those people are able to exchange their purchases for fourth-gen versions.) But for the average, everyday iPad user, it may be hard to articulate exactly why such a tight update schedule feels so aggravating.

Which is why we turn to you, Ars readers. Are you frustrated with Apple's decision to release an entirely new generation of iPads so soon after the last? Or do you take a more zen approach, seeing new iPad introductions as irrelevant to your past purchasing decisions that you're still perfectly happy with? And most importantly: why do you feel this way? Tell us in the comments how you view this latest update to the full-sized iPad line (iPad mini notwithstanding) and we'll round up the best reader comments in a follow-up post about how our community frames Apple's decision to upgrade the iPad now, instead of later.

340 Reader Comments

Does 2013 Toyota Camry irk you if you bought a 2012 model? Does your car suddenly stop functioning? If your answer is "yes" to either of these questions you should probably not buy anything just to be on the safe side. Something powerful is always around the corner.

I'm not irked at all. Not by Apple's release of a newer iPad model, at least. The tone of this "article" is pretty damned irksome though. There's enough BS floating on the internet without respectable folk going out trying to stir the pot, you know?

Oh, and anther thing: That there's now a newer, faster iPad does not in the least make mine obsolete. Not even close. Maybe you should check your dictionary, as you seem to have a very different definition for that word.

I'm very irked. I've had the iPad 1 since it came out. So, thanks to the iPad 2, 3, 4, and mini, I no longer have the latest and greatest tablet out there. It's getting so hard that I can't show my face at Starbucks anymore.

I'm not mad about the new 4th-gen iPad. It means that I don't have to wait for accessories to come out as there are already plenty and since both are 4G LTE capable and have the same resolution just that they each have different processors, it's like buying a Sandy Bridge laptop and then them coming out with Ivy Bridge laptops a few months later. If I need more power for websites, I can turn on Personal Hotspot mode on my iPad and use my Sandy Bridge laptop. Therefore I wasn't mad at all. Surprised, but not mad.

I'm on my second Acura now. The first one was a MDXT. The current one is a TLSHAWD. I love both models, but I like the TLSHAWD a little more, mainly for the "pep". I really drive the thing pretty hard, gunning it out of turns, pushing hard on a pass instead of just coasting by, etc. I use all of the features: bluetooth, iPod plug, address book, GPS, etc. It's a great car. I baby the thing with soft soaps and waxes. I've taken naps in the damn thing.

You know what I don't do? Bitch when a new model comes out every year like clockwork.

I'm a bit frustrated because this is a major upgrade that will eventually create a "break" in the iOS support. This happened to me with my iPhone 4. I purchased it late in its cycle and now features are being left out when it's updated. I purchased my iPad 3 because I perceived a "break" between the 2 and the 3 (retina screen, A5x, etc.). I wasn't expecting another update to come so fast, much less one that would upgrade the abilities of the device so drastically.

I suppose I'm mostly upset because I tried to plan my purchase to maximize the life of the device, and such an unexpected update this significant yanked the proverbial rug out from under me.

I dont have an Ipad but I will throw this in.. I have other apple products and my biggest issue is that iTunes store sometimes doesnt respect older devices. What irks me is when an "app" is updated and iTunes wants me to install that updated app, only to find out that it is not supported on my older device!...

Since I am not an apple FanBoi then I expect a promptish influx of downvotes....

Upvote here This is exactly what bothers me with Apple product, sometimes the definition of "older device" for Apple can be any device that's been released in the last 18 months. I still have en iPod 1st generation the hardware is ultra durable (more than 4 years and still running great), but the software was obsolete after less than 18 months and since then I've never been able to access the App store and use one of the biggest functionality of the device. So I paid more than 300$ for a glorified mp3 player (at least this part still function).

Yes, I'm a little ticked. Does it work as well as it did yesterday? Sure.

Will it work as well in six months as it would have under the normal 1 year refresh cycle? In a year? Probably not. Faster cycles mean developers taking advantage of more powerful processors earlier, pushing earlier models out of usability faster and faster.

So yes, it works as well as it did yesterday, but it won't remain as usable as past models have for as long a period of time.

If you're a technophile, you expect to get stung like this often. If you buy cutting edge GPUs or CPUs or motherboards for gaming PCs (which I did for the best part of a decade) you're always fighting a losing battle. In the days of the 'dumb' phone, new models were released with careless abandon; that's still the case in Android-land. Same is true with some consumer devices (just got the latest plasma TV for $4000... oh look, here's a better one for half the price.) Do people whine? Nope.

Apple has been reasonably restrained with product release cycles, although the 1st Gen MacBook with the CoreDuo was relatively short-lived (the Core2Duo came out the same year, barely 6 months later) and years later, this made a difference. I bought my wife here MacBook in Octomber 2006 - 6 weeks later, the Core2's came out. She's stuck on Snow Leopard rather than having Lion... no Facetime or iMessage for her. I also bought a 2010 MBP in January 2011, and 5 weeks later the Quad Core came out with a much faster GPU. That's life in the fast lane.

My feeling is people are straining to criticize Apple for anything... and if the worse thing they've done this year is released a better product 3 months early (no one would have complained if it was announced in January), then it's probably a sign they're doing well. I bought my 3rd gen iPad a few weeks after release - I wish I had the new one, but I am not irked. My wife has the iPad 2 (bought in July 2011) and she uses it daily, and will do so probably until it dies.

yes, I'm irked but not quite for the reasons you mentioned. What really bothers me is that Apple has a very well-known device obsolescence policy: Current and previous generation devices get all the goodies, the generation before that gets less (and typically upgrading the OS on such a device makes it slow as glaciers) and after that, it's "no more of anything for you" time. In effect, it cut short the expected lifetime of my iPad 3 of at least 6 month.

I doubt it. Apple's obsolescence cycle seems to be keyed to the tech in the device, not the number of replacement devices since original release. It's not like the G5 towers are still supported by Apple today because of the lack of Intel Mac Pro tower updates over the years.

First off, the new iPad was probably necessary. The lack of a new chipset in the 3rd gen and the recent introduction of the new connector type meant an update was coming. In fairness, I still maintain an iPad each from the previous generations and they are all still usable.

That said, this move doesn't sit well with me and this generation will be the first I skip. The annual product refresh was reliable and a bit more budget friendly for those wanting to stay on the forefront of everything iPad. This shift makes that cycle less predictable. Are we still getting a new one next spring? Summer?

The more troubling aspect comes from the support cycle. Two generations back is about as far as iOS updates reach, and even then the functionality is limited. These updates are designed to take advantage of the latest hardware release, so naturally some features are left out in older models. But the original iPad is already out of the support loop. The iPhone 4 and 4th gen iPod Touch have a limited version of the latest version. Depending on the scale of hardware refreshes, this rapid turnaround could shrink the supported life span considerably. And if the next hardware isn't a significant upgrade, why launch/buy it?

On the plus-side, since the iPad Mini shares the same hardware as the iPad 2, the latter may have received a stay of execution. If this trend continues, with the mini borrowing hardware from a generation prior, it may add an extra generation of support. Time will tell.

yes, I'm irked but not quite for the reasons you mentioned. What really bothers me is that Apple has a very well-known device obsolescence policy: Current and previous generation devices get all the goodies, the generation before that gets less (and typically upgrading the OS on such a device makes it slow as glaciers) and after that, it's "no more of anything for you" time.

In effect, it cut short the expected lifetime of my iPad 3 of at least 6 month.

This, exactly.

No, my iPad 3 hasn't become less functional overnight. But the obsolescence of Apple products is driven by the availability of new Apple products. Whether you think it's the iPad 5 or the iPad 6 which will herald the official end of support for the iPad 3, the fact is that point is now six months closer than it was two days ago.

They key factor to consider is the Christmas shopping season. In the past, it hasn't been a big deal that the iPad was likely to be refreshed 3-4 months after Christmas, because in 2010 the iPad had no competition, and in 2011 the 2 was still easily better than anything else on the market.

Apple had to move the refresh schedule to Q1 because they know that going forward people would be less enthusastic about buying iPads during the key shopping months when Google and Microsoft and Amazon have their latest and greatest on the shelves.

It's likely that the only reason the iPad was initially released in the spring was so it wouldn't interfere with the iPhone manufacturing schedule. Releasing new iPads and iPhones around the same time was surely not an easy problem to solve, but it had to be done.

From the buyer's perspective there was never going to be a good time to make this switch.

Yes, I'm a little ticked. Does it work as well as it did yesterday? Sure.

Will it work as well in six months as it would have under the normal 1 year refresh cycle? In a year? Probably not. Faster cycles mean developers taking advantage of more powerful processors earlier, pushing earlier models out of usability faster and faster.

So yes, it works as well as it did yesterday, but it won't remain as usable as past models have for as long a period of time.

Exactly, all the people that say they are not bothered because "it works as well as yesterday" kind of miss the forest by looking only at the tree... Yes your hardware will perform "as great as yesterday" for many years, but you won't be able to use new software in a future probably closer than you think.

You don't like that we asked a question of our readership so that we could put together a story about the well-reasoned thoughts our (intelligent, highly respected) readers have on the topic? Okay. Thanks for reading, then.

Not bothered. One reason is that the spec bump is relatively small. (Basically) The A6X chip alone is not enough to make me want the new one. Plus I like being able to dock my devices, with my iPhone 4S and (3rd gen) iPad I can do that with small first-party docks. There are no good lightning docks in the foreseeable future.

I said this in the other thread but I'll say it again... the reason that this "irks" me is because had I KNOWN that Apple intended to release a fourth generation iPad a mere 6-7 months later, I would have waited and bought this one instead. I, like many other people, bought the third generation iPad assuming that there wouldn't be a new version for another 12-13 months, as had been the case with every previous product. Can anybody name another Apple product that received a spec bump in just 6-7 months? I can't think of any. If anything, Apple has always extended the release to beyond a year, as they did with the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S.

yes, I'm irked but not quite for the reasons you mentioned. What really bothers me is that Apple has a very well-known device obsolescence policy: Current and previous generation devices get all the goodies, the generation before that gets less (and typically upgrading the OS on such a device makes it slow as glaciers) and after that, it's "no more of anything for you" time.

In effect, it cut short the expected lifetime of my iPad 3 of at least 6 month.

This, exactly.

No, my iPad 3 hasn't become less functional overnight. But the obsolescence of Apple products is driven by the availability of new Apple products. Whether you think it's the iPad 5 or the iPad 6 which will herald the official end of support for the iPad 3, the fact is that point is now six months closer than it was two days ago.

I'm not sure about that though. Apple JUST released an iPad Mini that has the same performance characteristics as the iPad 3. If anything the iPad Mini gives me assurance that iPad 2 and iPad 3's are going to be supported for at least iOS 7 and 8.

I was initially irked when I saw the spec bump, but I got over it pretty quickly when I realized that meant I would need new cables/accessories and couldn't have used the ones I had. (And before you say "adapter": if you have a speaker dock, do you really want an iPad balancing on top of an adapter instead of resting properly in the dock?)

Sure, who wouldn't want 2x the processor and better LTE support? But given Apple's specs, it's not like it's any lighter or smaller. It might make a difference in a couple years, when the next iOS might need the horsepower, but for now, it still does what I need it to.

I'm not sure why you would think that Apple owners feel differently about product upgrades than anyone else. I expect every device I own to get a yearly update. As far as the iPad goes, I still have an original iPad. I was waiting for it to get a retina display to upgrade, but when the iPad 3 was released, I decided to wait for a 128 GB model. My iPad is feeling pretty pokey these days, so I'll probably upgrade to the new iPad 4.

Doesn't hurt my feelings any. This is a standard speed boost, doesn't add any extra options that my iPad 3 doesn't already have. And mine still works perfectly fine speed wise.Question is, are they going to offer a spring refresh that does offer new option or features that are exclusive to it? If so, this offers up more problems...

-If there is a spring refresh that offers exclusive options or features not open to previous devices, than I would worry about pissing off those who buy the iPad 4 now.

-If this is the yearly refresh, and we wont see another refresh until next fall, then the iPad may fall behind, much like the iPhone 4 did with the delay of the 4S. That should piss off most everyone. iPad 4 is extremely evolutionary.

Honestly, it doesn't bother me at all. The resolution stayed the same, which was the main reason I eventually upgraded from the original iPad. I don't need a faster processor to read books in Kindle, magazines in Zinio, or for Tweetbot, and it means I don't need a mixed ecosystem of connectors yet.

I think I've lost whatever it was that sparked a burning desire for the latest and greatest Apple products. An unlocked iPhone 4S running iOS5 is perfect for my needs (travel, Google Maps), and as long as a macbook runs Office and you can plug an extra monitor in, it will more than handle what I can throw at it.

The way I see it, there are top tier android phones being released every 1-2 months. I've never met anyone who complains that they feel burned that their recently purchased "CompanyName Superlative" Android Phone is second best after 2 months. I respect the fact that the iPads are developed/sold by a single company, but at some point apple needs to keep up with or ahead of the pace of the market.

Burned is the appropriate feeling one should have if a better one came out at a lower price, or the 16gb model would have been dropped and the 32/64 gb models got a 100$ price break.

I'm NOT an iPad '3' owner. I've always bought Apple products in Star Trek movie mode; even numbered or skipping one for the next.

So, I have purchased iPhone 3GS, 4S and iPad2 most recently. Still have an iPod Classic somewhere.

If I had purchased the 7 month old iPad3, I would be miffed to outright pissed I imagine. I almost gifted the iPad2 and bought one, but somehow that particular model felt "wrong" to me. Seemed rushed to make a point or something.

I may break my pattern and actually buy an iPad Mini v1 to replace my iPad2. I use it more than 2 laptops and a desktop every day. The size appeals to me and I can go to 64GB for about the same price as the 4G iPad 16GB model. That's useful for my needs.

Totally agree and do the same with Apple. The even number items which are mostly refinement releases always last longer than the "big new releases." My 3GS is still supported fantastically by iOS 6, my 4s is completly supported by iOS6 and runs it very well, and my iPad 2 will be supported for a long time thanks to it sharing resolution with iPad Mini etc.

I'm not irked at all. Such is technology. Should Apple NOT release better products as quickly as they can? That would be absurd. Additionally, my iPad 3 is still just as fast, just as beautiful and just as useful as it was yesterday!

I have been an owner of an iPad 3 from very near the release date. I was more than a little miffed about the new release being this early on. I liked the knowledge that I had an up to date device. Losing that status in only 7 months was irritating.

And then I did the math behind a new device and its hardware compared to what I had. Irritated does not mean angry. And given how new the iPad 3 still is, good condition iPad 3s will sell reasonably well on eBay if I felt a need to upgrade.

I agree. I was a little miffed as well, but then really looked at the changes and most do not bother me. The only thing that would have been convenient would have been Lightning connectors for both my gadgets.

I'm half wondering if the 3rd gen iPad was just a filler product because things like the Lightning connector, the new A6 chip, and the antenna enhancements were not ready yet. Or maybe Apple prefers to release those things in the iPhone then move them to other devices. I'm not buying the "foot on the gas" comment.

I've read this from a few different people on ars: my iPad works as good today as it did yesterday. True story.

Does 2013 Toyota Camry irk you if you bought a 2012 model? Does your car suddenly stop functioning? If your answer is "yes" to either of these questions you should probably not buy anything just to be on the safe side. Something powerful is always around the corner.

Heh heh. I actually like this example, even if is only partially accurate. In this case, we're talking about buying a 2012 Camry to have it replaced by a 2012.5 Camry. The more substantial problem, though, is that functionality isn't perfectly preserved. Yes, if your 2012 Camry could do something before, it should still be able to now. The issue is that the roadways are evolving rapidly and use the latest batch of cars as their design-to basis. You probably won't notice an impact immediately, or even after the 2013.25 model reaches market, but you'll start seeing it soon enough. "This road only for 2012.5 and newer vehicles". You'll get by for a while still, but there's going to be a lot of the world you won't see.

Would I like to have twice the CPU and GPU power for the same amount of money I forked over six months ago? Yes. Obviously, yes. In that sense, I am a little bit irked; it makes my iPad 3 seem like it was overpriced at the time. If you can get that much more performance for the same money in six months, it seems overpriced.

That said, I've used this iPad daily since I bought it. I use it for web browsing, reading Kindle books, reading magazines I subscribe to, watching an occasional movie, and Twitter/Facebook. None of these uses requires a faster CPU or GPU. The main attraction for me was the Retina display, and it continues to deliver. The iPad 3 works just as well as the day I bought it. So I guess I'll enjoy my iPad 3 for a few more years, and stop being irked at the march of technology.

This is Arstechnica, remember? It's a given that simply by our geeky nature that all references, whether from The Oatmeal or XKCD, are automatically known and therefore need not be commented on. With your post count I'm surprised you bothered!

I never did understand the 'upgrade every year' crowd. While I do get the idea that sometimes hardware just breaks down, wears out, gets progressively slower compared to the newer models, there are some things I can't see upgrading until, well, they break.

iPhones? I'd use it until it broke. Recently bought my gf a lightly used 3GS cheap - she popped in her sim card and it worked great and she can use it for everything she needs: calls, browsing, some games. Battery life is still good, no stuttering on the UI, so why buy the 'latest and greatest' as there comes a point where something is 'good enough' and upgrading doesn't become a necessity.